Sarah Johanesen (KCL) - 2015-16 Students
sarah.johanesen@kcl.ac.uk

Subversion, Dissent and Religious Expression: The Material Culture of Catholics in Post-Reformation England

Catholic material culture in post-Reformation England (c.1558-1640) is often described as subversive – politicised by virtue of its being Catholic in an era of religious persecution: but what made an object Catholic, and what made it subversive? There are objects shared by Catholics and Protestants, and Catholic devotional objects such as decade rings which went largely ignored by the authorities. This project, therefore, aims to analyse the politicised dynamics of Catholic material culture. To ascertain how, when, where and why an object or image was interpreted, or used, as a form of political expression. The research will employ a range of objects, alongside documentary evidence such as printed literature, personal documents, state papers and court proceedings, to contextualise and develop our understanding of their meanings, composition and use in a political context.